My Name Is Sephiroth
by LuckySleven
Summary: Blood splatter analyst for Midgar Metro Homicide by day, and serial killer that targets criminals by night, Sephiroth is not who he seems. But as he develops his humanity what happens when he falls in love with an enchanting blonde? Throw in crazy co-workers, love webs, and other killers and you have yourself the life of Sephiroth. Sephiroth x Cloud and more.
1. Playing the Part

Hi there everybody I've decided to try my hand at a Final Fantasy story after finally finishing watching Dexter I got the inspiration to write this; it'll be loosely based on the show with my own twists and if you haven't seen the show I HIGHLY recommend it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I thought of writing. This story is a total YAOI fest and if you don't like that the maybe this story isn't for you.

Summary: Blood splatter analyst for Midgar Metro Homicide by day, and serial killer that targets criminals by night, Sephiroth is not who he seems. But as he develops his humanity what happens when he falls in love with an enchanting blonde? Throw in crazy co-workers, love webs, and other killers and you have yourself the life of Sephiroth.

Pairings: Sephiroth x Cloud, Cid x Vincent, and more as I continue to write this lol.

Warnings: Murders (some crime scenes will be described graphically), yaoi, and other adult situations

Also note, there'll be a change in the points of views that'll be clearly marked. Without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter One: Playing The Part

xXx

Sephiroth POV

If there's anything I like better than a hot black coffee and polishing my knife collection it was seeing another skilled killer's work. I was called to the scene of the Honey Bee Inn where a decapitated prostitute's body, head missing, was placed respectively. I could feel my admiration almost contort my lips onto a smile as I took pictures of the crime scene, no blood, not a drop anywhere near the scene or parameters. My Gaia, why didn't I think of that?

My co-worker and robotics expert, Reeve Tuesti, tried making sense of what we both were dealing with. "One of the guards was patrolling the area and found her. He contacted the police right away and we've been trying to find any witnesses that might've seen who left this here."

"Not a single drop of blood, the cuts were done flawlessly and without hesitation. There doesn't seem to be any signs of struggle. All done post mortem and obviously her head is missing. It'll be hard to get an I.D. on her now." I state, but was absolutely enthralled by the work of art in front of me. Such showmanship to physically place these clean severed parts right in the public eye, no blood makes the parts look as pale and clean as bone-

"Crescent! What are you doing!? Popping a boner from that crime scene you sick fuck!?"

I cringed my eyes slightly from the vulgar display of words; that was one of the detectives I worked with, Cid Highwind. He was sharp, and for some reason the only one out of all of Midgar Metro that could almost see me for what I really was. I had sometimes wondered why. Most of the time I just ignored him.

"You already breaking Seph's back Cid? Come on, who doesn't love the guy, he brought us all doughnuts!' Zack, another detective and one of the few I could even closely consider a friend, patted both of our backs cheerfully.

"Whatever, just try and find us a print or something, lab rat!" Cid hollered back walking away.

Zack shook his head, chuckling lightly. "Just ignore him stallion; Cid is like a bitter old man."

"Yeah he probably just needs a good lay or something. Lucky for us we're here at the Honey Bee." Reno murmured and the two laughed. "Or better yet a piece of that sweet Valentine ass that keeps getting thrown at him without him noticing."

"Gentleman, there's a chopped up body of a woman whose identity we're not even close to figuring out. Please be respectful and let's wrap this up as soon as we can," Tifa came along, her newly earned shield dangling proudly. "Either way, we should head to the bar after this… and take shots whenever Valentine has to pull Cid in for a 'talk'."

All three of them burst into laughter and I merely gave a wry smile. It was interesting to watch them, knowing I could never be fully like them. At least pretending sort of gave me an idea of what was expected of me as a normal guy. This was usually how it was- I worked with Reeve, Elena, and Cecil in our forensics department. We had a total of four detectives in your division- Zack was partnered with Angeal Hewley and Tifa Lockheart with Barret. Cid is the Sergeant. We had a few other cops as well and that was Reno Saunders, Genesis Rhapsodos, Rude Tuley, and that's just to name a few. Our Lieutenant was newly promoted Vincent Valentine, who was the Sergeant before Cid. It was no surprise to everyone that Cid and Vincent had feelings toward each other, with Vincent of the two actually being aware of his feelings. Vincent's boss, our Captain, was a calm man by the name of Tseng.

I never truly felt like I belonged with the rest of them, regardless of how well I played the part. You see, many believed me to be brilliant in what I do, in how well I could read a crime scene from the tiniest drop of blood to a whole pool of it surrounding a victim. I could tell you exactly what had happened from the most gruesome of slash victims left there to die to the any of the ones that left no trace of evidence as if there was nothing ever there. I was a cop turned into a CSI worker, so I knew how both sides of law enforcement worked. While they used to beg for my return as a detective I found that being a blood analyst was the best for my' 'hobby.' As for as everyone was concerned I was a quiet, intelligent man with a knack for reading a crime scene and outside of work my life was simple; I enjoyed the finer things in life and even spent some time with my so called "friends." But then there was another side to me- the one that truly knew his way around a crime scene because he committed so many of his own. My dark angel if you will, for you see I'm also a serial killer and I've never been caught.

In fact tonight I was going after some low level drug dealer that had killed two innocent people when a drug deal had gone bad. I was a killer of killers, but would never hurt an innocent, that was my code and I followed it as strict as the sun rose and fell below the horizon. In society I would be labeled a psychopath but I felt truly enlightened- I could feel no ties, no empathy and simply went through all the motions of being a regular person, except for the thrill of killing. I was lovable by all, except for Cid of course that always had a strange feeling about me, funny. It was also why tonight I would join my so called friends in their normal ritual of going to a bar as an alibi. Although I had to admit, it was nice to hang out with them and watch their shenanigans.

I took one last look as Elena and Reeve preserved the woman's body parts, to be taken to the lab and look at closely. I couldn't wait for that.

xXx

"Chug, chug, chug," was chanted all around in Tifa's Seventh Heaven bar as Rude and Reno finished their mugs of beer.

Everyone cheered and Zack high fived Reno who stumbled lazily onto a stool. Cid talked away with a shy Vincent, asking Tifa to serve them two more shots of whiskey. Angeal sipped on a beer passively talking with to Genesis about some cold case that was never reopened. The rest of them began to drunkenly dance with each other making jokes about something or other. I sat on a stool away from them, waiting for the clock to strike midnight before I announced my departure. I saw a slightly buzzed Genesis approach me and I raised a fine chiseled eyebrow.

"So, you saw the butchered up girl earlier today huh?" Genesis asked, taking a swig from a pińa colada.

I smirked, "Of course, it was interesting to say the least."

"Heh I bet, we've got some 'interesting' criminals in Midgar but I've never really seen anything like this. You think it was done from an angry ex or something?"

"Could be, but the cuts were flawless, surgical even, very precise. We were able to conclude that the killer used a surgical tool or a small power saw and cut the body quickly."

Genesis looked at me intently, "But what about the blood, or lack thereof?"

"We were able to conclude that the body was drained of the blood before it was cut up, and the parts showed signs of frostbite, as if they had been preserved and then put out. But the question we now ask is where this was done and why. Was he in the same location or was he moving. " I answered, my smirk faltering as I looked at the clock, but still I was interested in what the police knew about the killer.

Genesis smirked this time bringing his sweet beverage to his lips slowly. "We asked around for any witnesses, mostly just other prostitutes, but without that head it's been hard to put an ID on her," Genesis sighed, "And it's not like when can check for any DNA in any of the data bases because there's no blood, nothing. Whoever we're dealing with is cunning and quite likely very sick."

"Well, hopefully we find that head to get ahead. I must be leaving now though Genesis, tell everyone I said bye. I wouldn't want to spoil their fun."

Just as I was about to leave I felt a hand grab my shoulder and turned to see Zack with a rather obvious crimson blush spread across his cheeks. "You can't leave now Seph..! My friends are coming and I really want you to meet them…!"

"Perhaps another time Zack, I really must be going, goodnight," I left swiftly and quietly.

xXx

I was hoping I wasn't too late to my victim's home and I was pleased to see that no lights were turned on in the misshapen shack. I had already set the kill room in the tiny shack connected to his home where he cooked the crack rocks he sold for his business. Lucky for me this part of town of was in the worst sector, heavy with crime, abandoned cars, and sex offenders living elbow to elbow. There were no security cameras, no sort of law enforcement, a perfect place for a kill. I had been spying on Gonzo, the trash I was about to take out and get rid of. He came home late, usually past midnight, and wouldn't leave his home till about one or two in the afternoon. It was perfect, no one would ever know he was 'missing.' I was able to sneak into his shabby home with ease, picking the lock quickly and locking it again so he would never suspect a thing. I blended with the darkness, my silver locks in a tied behind and tucked into a black hoodie. The only thing that could've possibly given my presence away were my fluorescent green eyes that glowed dangerously in the pitch black, ready to pounce and kill. It wasn't long before I heard the doorknob rattles, my breathe hitching slightly, I always loved this part, almost as much as the moment my knife would break through their breastbone and they were killed instantly. He came in, reeking of alcohol and weed, completely missing me behind the door as he shut it and I instantly pulled him into a chokehold.

It took a few moments but he fell asleep and I dragged him to the room where I completely stripped him of his clothing, laying the scrawny man down on the table before tying him down with plastic wrap. I put up the pictures of the two innocent people he had killed, a young woman and her child, right where he could see them when I woke him up. I pulled on my trust black apron and my plastic soldering hat that I used for anything but its actual purpose. I pulled out my collection of knives, laying them on a table, pulling out the one that would end the man's life. The silver gleamed in the yellow artificial light, absolutely beautiful. I placed it back down, grabbing a scalpel and a blood slide before turning back to the man. I grabbed a salt packet, placing it ever so close to his nose before he woke up groggily with a jerking start.

"Wha-…?" His eyes opened up blinded by the light.

"Hello Mr. Gonzo," I greeted him with a genuine smile, my hands at my sides. "I'm glad to see you could join us."

"Us..? What the fuck is going on…?" The man tried to move but was only able to wiggle his fingertips; I smiled amused, this was the same thing that happened every time. "Wh-where am I, who the fuck are you!? Get me the fuck out of here…!"

I placed a gloved hand over his mouth and his eyes widened, seeing not a man but staring into the eyes of a killer. "I wouldn't talk to loudly Gonzo, not that it would matter. Everyone on this block is blacked out from all the drugs you probably sold them. It's their choice to kill themselves and that's fine, however it wasn't theirs," I turned his head to the pictures I had posted up. "You killed them in cold blood when they were witnesses to a drug deal gone wrong. A mother and her child, just trying to get by, living on the little scraps of food they can. They didn't deserve to die and after gloating it to the rest of the neighborhood you definitely don't deserve to live. So scream again and I'll cut out your tongue, blink of you agree."

The man had already broken into a cold sweat but blinked his response. "Good," I said and released my hand from his face.

I cut into the side of his cheek and he shuddered violently. I collected his blood onto the slide, admiring how it spread onto its new, tightly packed home. The man watched me as if I was some lunatic and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if I was one.

"Wh-wh-what do you want man? Money!? I can give you money!?" the man began to squirm nervously, his words coming out in a stuttering mess.

I smiled warmly, my eyes dreamily half lidded, "I don't want money Gonzo." I turned to get my knife and his eyes widened, knowing this would be his last conversation.

"No d-don't k-k-k-kill me..! I don't want to die! You sick fuck, what are you!?"

My finger touched the tip of the sharp knife, the silver cleanly gleaming, close to perfection. I changed the position of the knife, ready to penetrate it straight into his heart. "I've been like this for as long as I can remember, not sure why I'm like this to be honest but I suppose it was just the way I was made. But enough of this small talk all I really want right now is your life."

I plunged in my knife and pulled it out in one swift movement. His breathing hitched, a pool of scarlet collecting and dropping out of his mouth I looked at my long time knife peacefully; the red liquid dropped slowly onto the plastic wrap. The crimson in contrast with the red was the pure essence of picture perfect. But I had no time to really focus on it, I wiped it clean and tucked the slide into my pocket. I quickly pulled out the portable power saw I had cutting the man out of his plastic prison and turned on the saw, a small whirring sound emitted from it. I made quick work of him, cutting him up quickly and placing the parts in black garbage bags, double bagged. I took down the kill room, a tedious process stuffing it all in a separate bag. The room itself was spotless, not a trace of evidence. I carefully stepped outside to survey the area for anything unusual, not a soul on street. I placed one of the bags in a trashcan. I did it in intervals, driving around the area, one bag in the back before I dumped each one in random areas. It didn't look too suspicious, just some man taking out the garbage and no one would dare think of something so ordinary to be unusual.

When I was done I was ready to head back home, cook myself a nice rib eye steak, and fall fast asleep. I parked in my private garage and walked up to my fancy apartment. I kicked my boots off and went straight to one of the floorboards in my room where I carefully lifted it up and placed my pack of knives inside while pulling out a rectangular wooden box. I opened it seeing all the blood slides that were in it yet- murders, rapists, extortionists- so many memories in my idea of fond little remnants. I put the latest one inside and it filled spot number 43. I stared at it a bit longer before placing it away and placing the floorboard carefully on top. I went into my kitchen washing my hands of anything before I opened my fridge and pulled out an expensive steak. Nothing like a nice meal after a successful kill.

xXx

Alright so first chapter done and please feel more than free to review. I haven't introduced Cloud yet but he will appear very soon I promise you all that. Any critique, recommendations, and the like are always welcome. Hell, you can even pm me just to talk. ^_^ Take care!


	2. Meeting the Rookie

Hello there everyone, thanks for the reviews I've gotten on this to those of you I was unable to reply to. While I'm trying to stick with some of the key things from Dexter I'll be adding my own twists that will vary from the show as well. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and enjoy this one even more. For anyone that persists that this is a crossover it technically isn't, it's more a Dexter fusion, as told by one of my reviewers. To anyone that isn't familiar with the show Dexter, it's on Netflix and I HIGHLY recommend watching it just because it's an awesome show.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or Dexter, sadly.

Chapter 2: Meeting the Intern

xXx

Sephiroth POV

I woke up instantly to the sound of my phone ringing in the dead silence of my room. I lifted my eyebrow, answering the call, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call Zackary?"

"Seph! The killer from yesterday! He struck again! He left another chopped up body by the playground in the slums! A bunch of kids spotted it-"

"Too much enthusiasm Zack, but I'll be there as fast as I can."

I hung up on him, jumped into the shower quickly, before dressing in a plain black t-shirt and black denim jeans with leather shoes. Grabbing my forensics kit I walked out of the door, stopping by my local doughnut shop to purchase the doughnuts I bought for everyone every day. I drove to my destination where I already saw the yellow crime scene tape and many of my co-workers already investigating. I flashed my laminate and went under the tape to see Elena frowning and Reeve shaking his head at the crime scene. Barret, Tifa, and Cid stood along with them, a limp cigarette dangling from Cid's lips. I eyed the decapitated victim, a male this time, with the same cuts and bloodless parts carefully put together. The head was missing again, and the small traces of frostbite edged around the caucuses. I stared in awe, who was the man or woman drawing me in with their ritualistic murder scenes? How I would love to have a talk with him.

"Quit eyeing the dead body like some swim suit model Sephiroth and try to find me some blood on this goddamn crime scene." Cid spat out, smoke coming out in waves from his mouth.

"Well it looks like I'm not needed, there's no blood anywhere around." I replied to him looking around and not a trace of evidence was there. "Doughnut?"

Genesis must've seen me holding the box as he quickly pranced to where I was, "You don't have to ask me twice."

"Fucking useless as ever," Cid murmured, "And get those god damn fried doughnuts the fuck away from me!"

"This foo'," Barret shook his head, "One of these days Cid is gonna pop a vein in his head. It's a damn shame that the sick fuck doing this would dump the body in a place where children play. It's a damn shame… Let me get at that bear claw though Crescent."

Barret reached for his doughnut and Tifa pulled out a blue berry stuffed strudel. "I definitely agree Barret; it's one thing to leave it at some place where only adults can see but in a place where children play? Makes me sick."

"The only witnesses Zack and I were able to find were those of shop owners heading to the wall mart to open up their businesses but by the time they were coming out it was 7 o'clock earliest and the body parts were already placed here." Angeal sighed joining us with Zack. "One more kill and we'll have a serial killer on our hands."

"And those are just the ones _we _know of." Zack shuddered. "Just think about it- our killer is getting pretty flashy, dumping a body right here in the public eye. He has no regards for the law, much less respect it."

"A brave man indeed. There's no sign of struggle on the body and one must ask, _how _he was able to actually pull this off." Everyone turned to me awaiting an explanation and I sighed, "Think about it, the killer couldn't have just been walking with all these limbs.He must've dumped them somehow and was on some kind of transportation that didn't attract any unusual attention and preserve the bodies, frostbite and all. It's clear that the bodies haven't been sitting here for days since we're still able to detect the freeze around it and the decomposition is almost nonexistent. Being on foot would take too long to set this all up without him being caught."

"So then what has our killer been using? If he's moving from Sector to Sector he's gotta be in something that wouldn't be drawing suspicion or some kind of transportation where they wouldn't check_ that _thoroughly." Zack inquired curiously, asking the question on everyone's mind.

Angeal scratched the back of his head obviously frustrated by how little they knew. "Damn… I'll check all the footage from the cameras, none of them point at his playground but maybe we can find someone that looks suspicious. Come along with me puppy."

Zack scratched his chin, wanting desperately to figure out what was going on before he began to walk behind lost in thought.

"Fuckin' A, this sick bastard is ball-sy and smart." Barret stated bitterly. "Let's wrap this shit up, Vincent wants to hold a meeting about whatever the fuck is goin' on, see if we have any leads if we all put our evidence together."

"Sounds like the smartest idea I've heard today Wallace. Let's pack this shit up and head back to the station, wouldn't want to keep our boss man waiting." Cid announced loudly looking at everyone around him.

Genesis smiled playfully, Tifa catching the glint in his eye and attempting to hide her chuckling. "Really Cid? Keep the 'boss man' waiting? He's a bit too effeminate for a name like that don't you think?"

"What's that supposed to mean fruit cake?" Cid narrowed his sky blue eyes at him questioningly.

"I'm just saying another name would be appropriate like _boyfriend _or _bottom_?" Genesis winked at him suggestively.

Cid turned scarlet all over, "What the _fuck _are you talking about Rhapsodos?! Y'know what don't even answer that shit! Just get whatever goddamn evidence you can find." Cid walked away quickly pulling out another cigarette and lighting it quickly.

Tifa was the first one to burst out laughing and the floodgates opened and Elena and Cissnei laughed so hard they hunched over clutching their stomachs. Barret simply rolled his eyes, but took amusement at the turn of events. Genesis smiled his Cheshire cat smile, putting a hand on my shoulder. I gave a half smile; I should learn how to counter Cid like that.

xXx

Cloud POV

"I hope you'll find yourself comfortable in our station Cloud. Tifa and Zack have said nothing but great things about you; I hope you will not disappoint." Vincent Valentine, my new lieutenant and technically boss since I'd never be seeing Tseng, shook my hand.

"It's an honor sir, to be working with the finest homicide department in all of Midgar."

The two of us were walking down a corridor to the main conference room. The hall was filled with newspaper clippings, pictures, portraits, and some awards; they consisted of some of the staff that had fought in the Wutai war, community and federal awards from the government, and high profile cases that had been broken or won. One of the newspaper clippings caught me, it read "_Sephiroth Cresent: Detective Prodigy Cracks Case of Shinra President Murder_". Then there was another more dated newspaper clip, "_Sephiroth One Man Army: Takes on Platoon of Wutai Rebels". _I was told about Sephiroth personally through my childhood friend Tifa and my recent friend Zack. Of course I also knew about the Sephiroth the rest of the world knew- the hero of Wutai, the man that was able to crack any case, and the blood splatter analyst that could read every crime scene like a children's book. The man was a superstar and my own idol. Oh how I could idolize him in more ways than one.

Vincent must've seen me gawk at anything Sephiroth related because he gave me a small smile before saying, "I'm guessing you're a fan of Sephiroth's work?"

"O-oh me? Well I'm familiar with his work if that's what you mean sir." I felt self-conscience suddenly.

"Hehehe it's alright Strife, Sephiroth has many fans, many that idolize him. It's a shame how he went from the _Great Demon of Wutai _to our most brilliant blood splatter analyst. So much potential, you know he was a detective for a short while as well right?" Vincent turned to me slightly.

"Yeah, it's part of the reason why I wanted to become a detective to be honest," I chuckled, lowering my head in fear of a pink blush spreading across my cheeks. "Although I was always confused as to why they would leave the military."

"Well Cloud, the war was over and with all the returning soldiers-many forever damaged with the mental scarring of shell shock- the crime spiked to new heights in all directions. Murders, rapists, drug dealers, and many more with military training were suddenly running the streets. The local police forces were overwhelmed of course and were unable to handle the new, cunning criminals. That's when Shinra decided to make a new division, a federal division, where some of the brightest minds have come together to bring many of these criminals to justice. I suppose that after a while many of us have come to enjoy this job very much. We actually work very closely with the Turks as well." Vincent explained without stopping for a lick of air.

I looked a little overwhelmed.

"Well you're in the right place Cloud and if you're half as good as Tifa and Zack say you are chances are you'll surpass them in no time. Right now prove yourself."

Vincent opened the room and my head jerked up, I swallowed hard as I saw a large room full of unfamiliar faces, save for the ones I met in Tifa's bar with Aeris. My gaze shifted around and I locked eyes with Sephiroth, his green eyes and mine staring into the depths of our souls, as I saw what seemed like surprise. I looked away walking with Vincent to the front. I felt all these eyes on me trying to figure who I was and what I was doing there. I decided to just stare at the boards with the homicide pictures and possible suspects. I cringed slightly; this would be my first case and I was already debriefed on it with Vincent before. But seeing the pictures were eerie, there really wasn't a single drop of blood anywhere. But it was better to focus on that than the nervous churning in my stomach, my stage freight making my heart beat faster than a tap dancer. I saw Zack give me a thumbs up and Tifa a big warm smile. I ran a quick gaze at Sephiroth, his emerald orbs gazing at me interestedly.

"I'm glad we could all make it. We will begin to discuss the details of our ever elusive killer but first I would like to introduce a new member of our team. Everyone, this is Cloud Strife. He'll be starting out as a regular police man like the rest of you but I can already tell he has quite the potential. Please make him feel at home." Vincent introduced me stepping back and putting me in the spot light.

"It's an honor to work with you all; I've heard that you're the best Midgar has to offer." I bowed respectfully.

"You're damn right about that!" Zack yelled out loud, knowing it would embarrass me.

"Zack settle down please." Vincent hushed, "Now then I've been up to speed on what's going on, is whoever doing this a serial killer?"

"No well, not _yet_\- so far we know that our killer has got a big pair of balls, whether I mean that literately or metaphorically. He's been placing these decapitated body parts in public places." Reno, the red head whom I remember challenged himself to drink a whole bottle of Don Julio, said.

"There are no prints, no nothing. We haven't been able to identify the two victims. We're trying to find anyone that may come close to their descriptions in the missing persons database but without any mitochondrial evidence it's like trying to find a virgin at the Honey Bee Inn." The man named Cid spoke, seemingly frustrated by the situation.

"So what do we know then? One more kill and whoever is doing this will be considered a serial killer. This murderer seems to be one step ahead of us," Vincent smirked, "Is it possible he could have any military or medical background?"

"Well," a man with a goatee began to sit up coughing a bit, "We have been able to determine that the cuts are clean, too clean, for someone that hasn't done this before. They're incredibly precise and as deducted by Sephiroth, said killer must've used a surgical tool or a small saw to make the cuts as clean as he or she did."

"What I believe to be the biggest break through is not how well the body parts are cut, but the frostbite that we find on them and the lack of blood. There is not a single drop of blood in either of the crime scenes which means that our killer had time to actually drain the bodies completely of blood. My best guess would be that he or she hangs them upside down, cutting the throat and letting the beating heart do the rest. But even then there would still be a very little amount of blood left so the killer would have to take extra time in clearing it all out. As for the frostbite we can safely conclude that our killer had the bodies in storage for quite some time in a cold enough area to actually keep them preserved without a smell emitting from said parts. He or she is also placing them in highly public areas, so it's safe to assume that our killer isn't just on foot." Sephiroth spoke and for some reason all I could see where glitters and shine around him. He sounded so like he knew so much just from looking at two bodies, what a genius. I tossed his words around in my mind.

Vincent leaned back a bit on the desk behind him, "Okay, so the picture is slowly becoming clear. We may not have a motive as to why our killer is doing this but his process of killing seems ritualistic, it's clear he wouldn't under normal circumstances deviate from his ritual. But with a time consuming process like that he obviously can't be on foot dumping the parts as he so wishes. No, he must be in something moveable, portable and large that's able to take him from one destination next to the other without attracting suspicion."

I kept thinking about what my lieutenant and idol where saying and then I looked back at the pictures. Portable and large, wouldn't attract attention…. He'd have to blend in somehow and be able to leave the bodies exposed before going on his way without a care in the world. But his transportation would actually still have to keep the bodies preserved since the parts should've been decomposing already… Transportation…. Freeze…. Movable…..

"A refrigerated truck," I suddenly said much to everyone's surprise. "The killer is using a refrigerated truck to move around and leave the body parts. That way he's able to bypass any of the security risks going from Sector to Sector and keep the parts crisp until he plants them. He's able to move around without any unwanted eyed looking at him… or her."

Vincent looked at me with narrowed red eyes until they widened slowly. I looked around the room and saw widened eyes looking at me as if suddenly enlightened. Even Sephiroth showed the smallest traces of shock.

"That makes a world of sense," Angeal began to say shaking his head, "That makes so much sense. We've been squinting our eyes when the answer was so much simpler than that."

"Well I- I'm not too sure about it, it's just a theory." I stuttered out shyly.

"Don't doubt yourself kid it actually makes a fuck load of sense." Cid replied, "AT this rate you'll end up taking my job."

I turned to Vincent, a proud smile on his face before he began to talk, "Alright then, let's put BOLO out for any refrigerated trucks. Our killer may be using a stolen one to parade around right under our noses. This conference is adjourned."

I was about to turn back to Vincent when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "That's some fine police work Cloud."

I turned around and my heart stopped as I was Sephiroth with a half smirk congratulate me. "Oh s-sir! Thank you but no thank you; I just thought outside of the box as they say."

Sephiroth now gave me the full smile, exposing a bit of his perfectly white teeth. "Cid is right, at this point you'll end up taking all of our jobs. Keep up the good work you have quite a lot of potential I can tell."

"Wow uh, thanks. By the way, my name is Cloud Strife."

"What an interesting name Cloud. My name is Sephiroth, I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting. But now that we'll be seeing each other every day I'm sure we'll get to know each other quite well."

"It would be my pleasure." I shook his hand.

With that my idol strolled away, quite possibly back to his lab. Vincent sort of snuck up behind me, his cool voice catching me off guard. "Sephiroth almost never gives anyone a compliment. I'd feel lucky if I were you."

As Vincent walked past me I felt the hand that Sephiroth had shaken tingle slightly; today was a good day.

xXx

"Cloud Strife, the man of the hour! Rookie police kid from backwater Nibelhiem able to break the infamous Ice Truck Killer case!" Zack yelled out loud, all the drunkards clapping their mugs together.

"Zack, we don't even know if the killer is using a refrigerated truck." I rolled my eyes at him annoyed.

"Oh Cloud, I'm so proud of you! I always knew you were perceptive but what I saw back at work blew my mind!" Tifa pulled me into a tight hug, her breasts crushing me as I pulled away laughing.

"You guys are giving me way too much credit. I won't believe until we actually catch him and the truck." 

"You are so modest Cloud. I don't even work there and I think you've already done a splendid job. This night goes to you!" Aeris patted me on the back.

"Well, it wasn't my first day either, you finally got to open up your flower shop Aeris I'm sure that was exciting." I turned to face my brunette friend.

Aeris put a hand on her chest, "It was the most wonderful feeling I've ever had; it was my childhood dreams finally come to reality."

"Now that's something I know we all can celebrate." I rose my beer up, "To Aeris!"

"And to the bright new detective!" Angeal cheered.

"It's a little too early for that…." I commented.

"Nonsense Cloud, I already know you'll climb high and far." Angeal commented and I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah and it's not just because you're cute," Genesis winked at me and I instantly blushed. "Speaking of cute people where is Sephiroth? I invited him here thirty minutes ago."

"I'll give that guy a ring, he's practically a shut in." Zack proceeded to walk out to the bar and call their friend.

"Y-you don't need to do that Zack he's probably busy." I tried to grab him and he slid from my hand.

"Come on Cloud, he's our friend which also makes him your friend." Zack winked and continued to walk outside. There he looked through his contacts picking out Sephiroth's name before the receiver began to ring.

It took a few rings but Sephiroth answered as cool as ice. "Yes Zachary?"

"We're all at Tifa's bar celebrating, where the hell are you at?"

"I'm taking care of some business but if you absolutely_ must _have me there I'll be there in one hour, just let me shower."

Zack grin spread from cheek to cheek. "Sounds like a plan! See you in one hour champ!"

xXx

The green eyed killer hung his phone up. Sephiroth took one last look at the body that had been doused in kerosene and gas fluid. He was finally able to take his time with this one. He made sure the rest of the house was wet with flammable fluid. He was sure Cloud, the clever blue eyed boy would be there and he couldn't help but have his interested piqued. He saw a glint in his eyes he had never seen before and it triggered this strange sensation within him. He'd have to focus on it later, he turned the gas pipe on, turned the stove on and quickly made his way out of the house. He got in his car speeding up quite a bit before he could hear in the distance an explosion. He smirked, one victim down and now onto the next.

xXx

And that my friends is chapter too. Once again feel free to leave comments or suggestions of any kind I would greatly appreciate it. But what will happen next? Who is the killer? How will things go between Sephiroth and Cloud? Will Aeris' flower shop be successful? Stay tuned!


	3. If I Give You My Number

Hello, I would like to thank the reviewers and people that have added this story to their favorites first and foremost, it always means a lot. ^_^ I have been busy I've been unable to respond to any of the reviews I've gotten. To Wolf Awaken (sorry if I spelled that wrong) the reason they would been unable to use bone marrow is because it's only effective if the body had just been killed. But I will do a lot more research on it as I have been with anything medical related. I will try to keep this as realistic as it can get with a Final Fantasy fan fiction. I want to remind everyone that all criticism and thoughts are more than welcome. The name of this chapter is a lyric from Elton John's "All the Girls like Alice." Just a warning to those who don't like it there will be yaoi in this chapter, as this is a yaoi story after all.

A side not I want to add any sentence _that are italicized like this _will be thoughts or a flashback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or Dexter or anything else that someone else owns that I clearly don't. -_-

Chapter 3: If I Give You My Number, Will You Promise To Call Me?

xXx

Sephiroth POV

I had a spare change of clothes in my car; I sprayed some cologne on before I exited my car. I gazed at myself in my rear view mirror and smirked, even after killing someone I looked perfectly normal. As I walked out I saw Cid smoking a cigarette out by the bar. He turned to me slowly exhaling a large amount of smoke into the air. I raised a fine chiseled eyebrow at him.

"I didn't know the vampires came out at this time."

I chuckled lightly, "Clearly you have not seen the time Cid."

He finished his cancer stick smashing the hot end under his show and pulling out another one. "Whatever freak, what brings you here anyway? I don't see any blood anywhere around."

"Zachary and the rest invited me over." I answered.

This time Cid raised an eyebrow, "Angeal's puppy huh? I bet you all are just the best of fucking friends…" He faced his body toward me. "You don't see them as friends; you think you can fool everyone but you can't fool me _General_."

I cringed slightly at the pronunciation of the word general and frowned. "What is this personal vendetta you have against me Highwind?"

"You think you got the whole fucking police force tricked, the media and everybody but I see you for what you really are…! You're hiding something I can feel it! You think you can flash your stupid perfect white teeth and fool everyone." Cid responded distastefully. "I just don't know what you're hiding but you prance around like you're normal; you're fake as fuck."

"So then what would I hide? What would I need to hide? As you've said I have it all; it seems my life is complete."

Cid pointed a calloused finger at me, his dark blue eyes narrowing, "You're hiding something dark…. I can see it. You've been hiding something from before the war, something that done broke you the wrong way."

My eyebrows cinched in annoyance, "If you can find whatever 'piece' you feel like I'm missing then please help me find it. I would greatly appreciate it."

Cid chuckled darkly, a thing he almost never did, bringing the cigarette to his lips. "Well, maybe it's not all your fault. I heard you had a few encounters with that freak Hojo since you could just start walkin'."

This time his statement caught me off guard, confusion knitting my eyebrows and pulling my face into a scowl. "Since I was a child? I didn't start seeing Hojo till I had hit my teens."

Cid was about to say something else when Vincent's calm voice called to both of us. "Do you two argue still, even outside of the station?"

Cid's grew ridiculously large. "Hey Vince, wasn't expecting to see you here."

I mustered up a small smile, "Evening Vincent, come to tell us of any breaks in the case?"

"Unfortunately no, our killer remains as elusive as ever. I just came down here since Tifa had been telling me so many times to stop by. I hadn't had time till today and well here I am." Vincent sensed the tension immediately, eying us with his piercing red eyes. "Am I interrupting something between the two of you?"

"No not at all, I was just heading inside. I wouldn't want to catch the impending lung cancer Cid might have." I flashed him a cat like smile.

"Hahaha! Funny as ever Sephiroth!" He grinned at me but I knew he really wanted to punch me in my so called perfect teeth.

I turned my back on the two men and walked in slowly suddenly feeling empty; Cid had said that Hojo had been 'seeing' me since I was a child but I could only remember the times when I had seen him just before my teenage years. As I thought about it I could hardly remember anything else before that. I quickly changed my expression as the artificial light of the bar met my eyes.

"Seph you made it finally! I was beginning to think you'd flake out like y'always do!" Zack slurred his words, Angeal holding him down to his chair. "Now that you're here y'gotta take a shot! 'ifa get Seph here a shot!"

"I think you've had too much to drink Zachary…." Angeal held him close, making sure he didn't fall.

"Toooo much!? More like not enough!" Zack yelled, wildly swinging an empty pitcher of beer.

Reno moved to the front, arm in arm, with a red cheeked Genesis. The two men smiled happily talking about how they dared Zack to chug every drink he ordered. I waved at Tifa who was talking to a girl with long brown hair. Rude sat quietly a few by the bar, most likely just listening in on Tifa and the brown haired girl's conversation. Surprisingly enough Reeve was playing darts with Elena and Cissnei, both of them laughing at a comment Reeve made. But what catch my attention was Cloud, as we both looked directly at each other, and it made all other life in the loud bar seem nonexistent. I felt drawn to him and gave him the smile I had been so accustomed to making before I sat down next to him. He sat further away from everyone, although still at the bar, he occupied a corner all to himself. A part of me was actually hoping that Cloud was still here; I wanted to pick his brain and not in a literal manner.

"A double scotch for both of us, dry please." I rose my hand and one of the younger male bar tenders came to us. "It seems like you're one of the few still sober here Cloud," I told him.

The man nodded immediately bringing us our drinks right away. Cloud thanked me taking a sip from his drink and his eyes widening like dinner plates when he tasted it.

"It seems so, Zack really let himself go…" Cloud mentioned, shaking his head.

"Yeah, Zack has a tendency to do that at times… But he's a lovable oaf nonetheless."

Cloud laughed, and I saw the wonderful glint in his baby blue eyes that made me smile without me even wanting to. "That is true, a lovable jackass… so it's pretty incredible how you were able to read that crime scene with the killer and the frozen body parts. All your cases actually."

"Well, when you've seen as many dead bodies as I have you learn to read the story they tell, and often times it's a sad one."

"But… don't you ever feel bad looking at them?" Cloud questioned, his big eyes turning on me, clouding with curiosity.

"What do you mean? Why would I feel bad at looking at that?"

Cloud bit his lip, clearing his throat before he continued. "I mean, like when you see the body of a child that's been strangled to death or a women that's been beaten to death by her husband… don't you ever feel angry or disgusted?"

I looked at him square in the eye, a blue fire lighting his irises, made me inhale sharply. I looked away for a bit, as to not stare into his eyes and make it obvious. "Well not really to be honest. Most of the time I don't know the victims, although I suppose if it did make me feel anything it would be something along the lines of melancholy."

Cloud looked away, his expression a bit dreamy now, I couldn't help but try and read into it. "That must be a nice feeling or lack thereof, to just feel detached, empty."

I couldn't help but feel dreadfully curious about this; Cloud had hit the target right in the middle. But after a few seconds of thinking on it I realized that this emptiness inside me had actually led me to being detached from the rest of humanity. "What would be any good in that? To feel empty like that… it would make one feel as if they were just going through the motions of everyday life, lying to the world, themselves, when they're capable of so much more."

After the words left my mouth I couldn't help but realize that I had struck a nerve inside of myself, and along with what Cid said earlier it resonated deep within me, playing at some strings of emotion I was not comfortable with. I took another drink from my scotch, enjoying its' aged, dry flavor. I saw Cloud gulp his down and I know that this was a sensitive topic for him as well. He ordered another drink, this time some bourbon on ice, and he looked back at me with a more cold expression. I was drawn in yet again; Cloud had an air of genuine humility and nobleness around him, but now there was this cold wall struck up. It reminded me so much of me but never did I know it was capable from someone that seemed so human.

"But wouldn't it be better to just not feel? To just go through the motions without feeling anything, without feeling hate there would be no war, no prejudice. No families getting broken apart or people getting killed at the hands of some maniac. There would be no envy or greed for that matter. The world could just go round."

"But without feeling there wouldn't be so many of the things that make life worth living; there wouldn't be the love between a parent and child, the will to go own and discover great things. If people didn't act on their emotions then you wouldn't see mercy on the battle field, sometimes the hand that lifts those who are down, the act of empathy." _The one emotion I cannot feel… _I closed my eyes, sometimes the flicker of my actual conscience emerged, always coming at an unwelcome time.

I seemed to render Cloud speechless; his mouth was closed tightly and I could tell he was turning my words in his mind. The signs of the alcohol swimming in his veins was prominent and the small blush on his face and misted eyes. That's when I first saw it- that's when I first felt the real enigma that was Cloud Strife because underneath all the motions he went through I saw that he was carrying a giant weight on him. The questions, while cleverly asked, held painful curiosity and he held more in than he let on. The ever turning kaleidoscope of emotions and thoughts within him, the way he stood out even in a bar full of people… Could it be that Cloud was broken in his own way?

"You two seem to be having a very intense conversation, anything I can jump in on?" Genesis waltzed to us jumping on the seat next to Cloud. "Or would you two prefer I leave you two alone?"

"No Genesis, nothing out of the ordinary, just Cloud and I having a very intellectual talk is all."

"Intellectual? At a bar? I think we need more drinks here! Oh bar tender, a round of vodka shots here please!" Genesis exclaimed,

I sighed annoyed, "You've had enough… I don't even know how you'll make it home."

"There is _never _not enough to drink and you two look as stiff as washing boards." Genesis murmured. "To the fearsome devil of Wutai! May the stories be a long and legendary as your silver hair!"

We all took the shot, Cloud and I reluctantly, and Genesis went on to talk about other nonsense. "So Cloud, are you a fan of Sephiroth like most of the other young men in Midgar?"

The question caught Cloud off guard and he stuttered his response. "A f-fan what do you mean? I mean, I know about Sephiroth of course who doesn't?"

"A fan, someone that idolizes Sephiroth, has posters and newspaper clippings and knows of all his adventures and tales of heroism. I mean what a hero this guy is! Did you know that he saved me once when we were both still young? I was a POW and he managed to take out a whole platoon of Wutai rebels to save my division and I. Talk about a hero huh?" Genesis inched closer to the blonde, a devious smirk on his thin lips. "I'm a hero too y'know…."

"If I didn't know any better I would think you're a fan of mine Genesis." I said irritated.

"There's no need for that tone Sephiroth. I'm just trying to get to know our fellow co-worker, you know, make him feel at home. From what I know you're from the mountains like Tifa correct?" Genesis turned his entire body to face Cloud, trying to lure him into whatever game he was playing.

Cloud's looked like he was swimming in his inebriated state, obviously buzzed. "Yeah that's right, Nibelheim."

_Nibelheim… Why does that name sound so familiar…? _ I thought to myself.

"Nibelheim huh? I heard it gets very cold up there, what with their long winters and all. Is Shinra active at all over there?" Genesis questioned, his Cheshire cat smile widening.

"It does actually, you usually have to pack on a lot of layers but you get used to it. We do actually have an old, abandoned mansion that was owned by Shinra. But nobody goes over there, there's a lot of tall tales that it's haunted." Cloud answered swaying slightly.

Genesis chuckled, bringing the wine he had ordered to his lips. "Cloud are you a light weight?"

"Wh-what no! Of course not!" Cloud exclaimed almost falling out of his chair.

I caught him and Tifa walked over to us. "Cloud are you okay!? How much have you had to drink?"

"Apparently a lot," I sighed.

"It's okay Tifa, I'll take this young man home safe and sound." Genesis proudly announced trying to snatch the blonde away from me.

I held him closer to me. "It's quite alright Genesis, I'll take him home. I've only had one drink tonight. If that's alright with you Tifa?"

"Absolutely, I can only imagine would Genesis would do with him… Do you need me to give you his address?" Tifa asked wiping down the counter.

"It's quite alright, I'm sure he's not that intoxicated. I bid you all a goodnight." I told everyone as I helped Cloud out.

xXx

Vincent couldn't believe it; he couldn't believe what had happened just moments ago outside with Cid. He had been hoping to catch the man when he came by but seeing him outside was the best opportunity he could've asked for. Cid and Sephiroth seemed to be in an intense conversation, he rolled his eyes. Cid was probably just picking a bone with Sephiroth.

"Do you two argue still, even outside of the station?" He questioned them, his eyebrow raising.

He saw Cid push himself from against the wall, almost completely forgetting Sephiroth was there, as the smoke from his lit cigarette lazily wafted into the air. His cerulean eyes larger than usual as he greeted the raven haired man.

"Hey Vince, wasn't expecting to see you here." Cid smiled warmly, attempting to shield away the smoke from Vincent.

"Evening Vincent, come to tell us of any breaks in the case?" Sephiroth stepped forward offering Vincent a small smile.

"Unfortunately no, our killer remains as elusive as ever. I just came down here since Tifa had been telling me so many times to stop by. I hadn't had time till today and well here I am." Vincent answered but immediately felt the tension between the two. Vincent could see through Sephiroth's calm composure, something was wrong. "Am I interrupting something between the two of you?"

"No not at all, I was just heading inside. I wouldn't want to catch the impending lung cancer Cid might have." Sephiroth answered as flawlessly as ever, sending Cid both an insult in the form of a statement and a smile.

"Hahaha! Funny as ever Sephiroth!" Vincent heard Cid responding and wanted to chuckle at how he wanted to pound Sephiroth's face to the ground. A small vein appearing on his forehead for a moment.

Sephiroth's cat like eyes flickered with an unknown emotion as he proceeded to step inside the bar. Cid looked upset for a moment before brushing off his encounter with the silver haired man. Vincent and said locked eyes before Cid smirked, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"If I were any more of an angry person I would slap Sephiroth's stupid smile from his face." Cid stated looking at me. "How was the meeting with Tseng?"

Vincent stood closer to Cid, leaning against the wall. "Not bad, Tseng is very calm. He seems to have taken an interest in our Ice Truck killer. He's going to have some of the Turks survey and patrol the area for anything unusual. But otherwise fine."

"I'm glad Vinny, honestly. You work so hard and hardly have any time for yourself. It's nice to see you outside of the office."

Vincent felt his cheeks warm and his heart beat faster than usual. Cid had always managed to leave Vincent tongue tied, he hadn't felt this way about anyone since Lucrecia. How different those two were… After all he'd been through he thought he could never feel this way for anyone again. But when he met Cid so many years ago the man had captivated him and over the years it only grew. It was the little bit of light in all the darkness that shrouded him. If he could have one chance with the former military planet he would take it, jump at it and never let him go.

Cid had been just as eager as Vincent, if not more pleased that he was able to catch his superior outside of work. Just the two of, it was a dream come true. Cid had liked Vincent, truly and _desperately _liked Vincent since they had first met during the war. Vincent's hair was shorter, to the nape of his neck, but still hauntingly beautiful. Years had passed since then but age only added to Vincent's eternal beauty. He had remembered asking Vincent on a date long, long ago but suddenly the man had disappeared, most likely due to his job of being a Turk, and Cid didn't see him for a long time. It had depressed him, Vincent was one of the few tolerable people he could deal with when he worked overseas with Shinra. When Vincent had finally returned he had seemed so changed and he was never able to really communicate with him again before he was sent back to Rocket Town. Yet Vincent never left his thoughts and always haunted his dreams. When he returned to Midgar he had learned that Tseng had taken over the Turks and that Vincent was demoted. Cid and Vincent were able to rekindle their friendship and while Cid was weary he was glad the man had come back into his life. They were able to get quite close again and Cid was sure that Vincent had feelings for him to but he was always afraid of ruining their friendship. But now was the perfect opportunity now was-

"What are y'all doin' out here!? All the drinks are inside!?" Reno yelled abruptly ruining both Cid and Vincent's train of thought.

Cid closed his eyes tightly, ready to punch the drunk red head or shove him inside the bar. "We _were_ having a pretty damn good conversation you little shit…!"

Rude held onto Ren, the smaller man stumbling about. As Rude was about to apologize Reno made a shocked face, covering his mouth. "Oh fffffuck… You two were _talking _talking! Oh shit I'm soooo sorry. Cid I'm soooo sorry for breakin' your game man! I know how long you've been wanting that piece of Vincent ass."

"What?" Vincent questioned, his red eyes widening and going toward the drunk man and turning to Cid. Cid clasped a hand over his face, ready to spear the idiot where he stood.

"Don't listen him he's drunk… I'll just be taking him home now…." Rude quietly said, obviously embarrassed.

"I-I'm _not _that drunk! It's about time somebody said it and neither of you two were gonna say it! Vincent likes you to Cid! He told me so when we got drunk after all those Jell-O shots at Tseng's surprise birthday party!" Reno yelled as he was dragged away by Rude trying to shut the small man up. "Just hurry up and make out- mmmmph!"

The two stood in awkward silence; Cid looked at into the distance and Vincent stared a hole into the ground. But they were both curious about what the deranged red head said. Cid eyed Vincent through his peripheral vision debating on whether or not to say something and ultimately he did-

"So is it true what Reno said Vinny?"

Vincent hesitated, and looking back into Cid's eyes he replied, "Yes… so Cid is it true what Reno said? That you actually like me?"

Cid smiled, feeling confident again. "I do Vincent Valentine, I have liked you for a very long time."

There was another long silence, they both stared at each other for a long time and suddenly it felt like they were young again. Cid thought back to that fateful day- he had marched angrily up to complain about the funding of the Space Development program to Hojo. The man had removed a large amount of money for whatever he was researching and Cid was pissed off to say the least. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he bumped into someone else and they both came crashing down on the floor. Cid was ready to give him an earful but instead held his breath.

"_I'm so sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." The other man brushed off his black suit._

_Cid sighed, Hojo was the asshole not this guy, "I wasn't watching where I was going, sorry about that."_

But when Cid looked up his breath nearly hitched; he was met with a pair of unusual yet captivating red eyes. Cid stood up and lent a hand to the short black haired man on the ground. When he stood up eye level to Cid, Cid couldn't believe what he saw- this man had light milky skin, and all the red in his eyes and his black hair and suit brought out all these features. His lips were thin and his eyes were serene. The man was of a thin frame, not quite effeminate but truly attractive to Cid or at the very least, the most magnificent specimen he'd ever seen at Shinra.

"_I'm sorry about that, I should've been paying more attention to where I was going."_

"_No. no, no it's my fault, running down the hall like a jackass." Cid remarked scratching the back of his head. "I'm Cid by the way, never seen you around here."_

_Vincent smiled softly, "I'm Vincent, Vincent Valentine. Maybe we'll be seeing each other soon."_

"_Yeah maybe… I gotta go rip off some stupid bastard named Hojo's head."_

That was the first time he had heard Vincent laugh and the memory always brought a smile to his face. That's when he got an idea….

"Well Vinny, it's clear we like each other but to be honest I would prefer we talk in a more private setting if ya catch my drift. SO how about we do this,"

Cid pulled out his carton of cigarettes and ripped out a large piece of the box from the side. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and began to write something down. Vincent raised an eyebrow, perplexed as to what Cid was doing.

"I know you have my PHS number at work but I feel like if I gave it to you personally it's different, more personal. So my question is, if I give you my number, will you promise to call me?"

Vincent was shocked, at first unable to respond he just grabbed the small piece of cardboard and stared at it. Cid smiled, his offer taken, he looked into Vincent's eyes. "I'll take that as a yes. Well I gotta go, gotta wake up early tomorrow for work and all right Lieutenant. Night."

Vincent stared at the numbers, the biggest smile his lips had curled into in a long time, cracking his usually calm face. He merrily tucked Cid's number into his pocket and suddenly he felt a warm pair of lips on his cheek. His face instantly turned red as his head shot up just to see Cid pulling away.

"I'll never forget that look just now, even if you kill me it was worth it to see the infamous Vincent Valentine shocked, Goodnight."

This time Cid really left, leaving a perplexed Vincent by the door of Tifa's Seventh Heaven Bar. His hand touched his cheek, and his heart beat so fast in his chest. If Vincent was more expressive he would've jumped up and down in glee. But right now he just wanted to live in this happy moment, the promise of something better. Vincent twisted the straw in his mojito; it had been a long time since he felt excited about anything but he didn't want to seem too excited as to scare Cid away. He decided that he would wait a few days to call him, that way he wouldn't seem too desperate.

"A penny for your thoughts Valentine?" Tseng took a seat next to Vincent, much to the raven haired man's surprise. "Debating on whether or not you should call Mr. Highwind?"

Vincent's mouth twitched a bit, but he focused on his drink. "You saw."

Tseng smirked, "Of course, I'm not head of the Turks for nothing, and also your boss but that's another story."

Vincent said nothing and Tseng simply ordered a glass of red wine. "I don't think you should waste anytime Vincent, call him, and give yourself the happiness you deserve."

Tseng's red wine was handed down to him with a coaster and when he looked up to thank the server he saw a pair of round green eyes and long brown hair tied into a neat braid. Tseng's eyes widened ever so slightly- the woman smiled at him.

"Your red wine sir." The beautiful girl said.

"I believe Tifa was supposed to serve me my beverage, not that I mind of course." Tseng smiled back.

"Well," the brunette motioned to Tifa who was talking with Rude, "I think she may be busy and I don't mind helping a friend out. My name is Aeris."

Vincent's captain stuck out his hand. "My name is Tseng, it's a pleasure to meet you Aeris. May I say, I've never heard of such an exquisite name, any friend of Tifa's is certainly of friend of mine."

A faint blush dusted Aeris' cheeks. "Why thank you, I must get back to seeing if anyone else needs any help but it was nice talking to you."

Tseng's eyes watched her walk away as if memorized and this time it was Vincent's turn to chuckle. "I don't think you should wait either Tseng."

Both of the men laughed, much to everyone's surprise.

xXx

It was funny how things worked out in the end. Cloud had admitted to having a few beers before Sephiroth had arrived at the bar. By the time Sephiroth had made it to the first intersection the blonde was fast asleep. At first Sephiroth felt awkward but when he saw how peaceful Cloud truly looked he didn't want to disturb him. The man drove straight to his home, propped Cloud up on one shoulder as he opened the door and gently put him on the oversized couch he owned. He found the biggest and warmest blanket and tucked Cloud in the way they did in the movies. Sephiroth looked down at Cloud and felt his lips breaking his usually porcelain face, they contorted into a smile but suddenly he frowned. The man was as cold as steel and harder to make happy then the greed of Shinra. Yet with Cloud he somehow felt at home, safe even. What was going on?

The silver haired man walked away, trying to think nothing of it as he slipped into his bed time clothes, splashing water on his face and brushing his teeth. He sat on the edge of his bed thinking of the sweet satisfaction he got from his newest victim- he could feel the man's pulse as his knife plunged to his heart and blood leaked out at a rapid rate. As his eyes blinked a few times before they stared back lifeless and dead. He took some blood from the wound itself this time, licking his lips like some hungry, depraved man. He loved that thrill more than anything and since he'd come back from the war he had to relearn how to control his thirst for that sweet, succulent obsession.

_Remember Sephiroth, don't get caught…. _Sephiroth could still hear Dr. Gast's soothing voice, the only man that really cared for him and his 'condition,' as he put it.

But at the same time there was another voice, one that lingered longer and whispered dark nothings in his head. It was almost effeminate but strong, drawing him and encouraging him to dig deeper into his dark obsession. Yet the voice was only really strong when he was asleep or craving a kill. Most of the time he could hear Dr. Gast directing him, telling him how to be human because one day he _would _be human, and he would feel _everything_. But then Cid's words came back into his mind and his peace was stirred, like a rock falling into a pond. Had he seen Hojo before? If so, why couldn't he remember? It was the one thing Gast had always asked, if he remembered anything before the age of ten and yet Sephiroth could never muster anything. Gast would say nothing but Sephiroth knew, even at his tender age, that there was always more Gast had wanted to say. As an adult Sephiroth learned to appreciate that the man was only doing things in Sephiroth's best interest. But it didn't mean that the occasional curiosity wouldn't wonder what happened to him to make his brain block out the first years of his life. By this time Sephiroth was in bed, under his silk sheets, drifting off into sleep. Dr. Gast had given him a set of standard to live by, the first being "don't get caught."

_Don't get caught…._

_Don't get caught…_

_Don't… get… caught…._

Sephiroth's dream was livid and he only caught glimpses of things that he never saw before. The only familiar faces were that of Hojo and Gast. There was a woman that touched his check tenderly but she was terribly blurred, she had brown hair in a ponytail and a voice that Sephiroth faintly remembered. Then it changed, someone was holding onto him, he could hear ragged breathing, was a male holding? Then the sound of gun shots, and then the brown haired woman screaming at the top of her lungs. So many voices, even that sinister female voice talking. Then he saw red, felt something liquid and hot pooled around him. It was blood everywhere.

"_Not my baby!"_

"_I'm so sorry Sephiroth, I failed you…."_

"_You'll be the most perfect soldier Shinra has ever seen…."_

"_Can you remember anything at all Sephiroth? Anything?"_

"_Not my baby!"_

"_He's just a child Hojo what's wrong with you!?"_

"_Worthless just like your mother!"_

"_Sephiroth have you ever seen the rain?"_

"_Remember Sephiroth, don't get caught…."_

Sephiroth woke up, jolting straight up. He woke up covered in sweat and his throat was dry. None of the things he saw were familiar to him and he felt… uncomfortable."

xXx

So remember reviews are always welcome, happy Saturday!


	4. Just One of Those Days

Hello everyone, it's always delight to see people enjoying this story! I'll hopefully keep consistently putting chapters up. For now enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter 4: Just One Of Those Mornings

Disclaimer: I don't own squat!

xXx

Cloud woke up dehydrated, his throat practically feeling like a dessert. His sapphire eyes opened up wearily and when the vision cleared he saw an unfamiliar setting that made him shoot up. His head throbbed and he rubbed it in an attempt to soothe it. What the hell happened? Last he remembered he was at Tifa's bar and then Sephiroth came and they started talking… and then Sephiroth offered to take him home-

"Good morning Cloud, did you sleep well enough last night?"

Cloud visibly tensed at the cool voice and he shut his eyes tightly._ Please let this be a bad dream. Please let this be a REALLY bad dream._

Sensing Cloud's vibe and his now quivering figure Sephiroth chuckled lightly. "Don't worry Cloud, you have no reason to be embarrassed."

"I am SO sorry… you must think I'm a fool." Cloud turned around ready to grovel at the man's feet.

Sephiroth sat on a stool, his long hair tied behind him, he wore a loose white shirt and casual pants. His green eyes as unreadable as ever, Sephiroth's face was about as readable as a book of brail to Cloud. Sephiroth gestured to his side; a plate of eggs, toast, cut fruit, sausages and a large glass of orange juice was ready for him. Cloud could smell is from the couch and it was definitely intoxicating- the man of many talents, who knew what else the silver haired man could do. Cloud sighed getting up from the couch he saw he was still in last night's clothes and he sighed again. What an impression to make on such an important person. As he sat down he saw Sephiroth would be joining him as well. They ate in silence and Cloud saw that Sephiroth's clock read 7:23 AM. He looked around the home; nothing out of the ordinary, everything was very neat and in order. Not a speck of dust could be found but Cloud saw there were almost no pictures. He saw some of Sephiroth and Zack then of Sephiroth, Zack, Angeal, and Genesis then one of just Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. But there was one picture that caught his attention and it stood across the room by the television. Sephiroth looked much younger, like a preteen, his hair just barely touching his shoulders. But he was with an older gentleman, tan and father like, dressed in a button up shirt, pants and a lab jacket on top.

Sephiroth noticed Cloud's eyes lingering on the photo of him with Dr. Gast. "That is Dr. Gast and I, he was a brilliant man."

"Was? Is he…?"

Sephiroth nodded, "Yes, unfortunate circumstances took him out of this world, I was at quite a loss when it happened."

"I'm so sorry to hear that… I know what it's like when someone you care about passes away." Cloud mentioned.

Sephiroth smirked, "Do you now?"

Cloud nodded, turning his body to face Sephiroth, "My father, he was killed when I was just fourteen, in cold blood. No one ever found out who murdered him."

Sephiroth saw Cloud's eyes get clouded but not from tears, it's as if a wall had been struck up and Cloud was completely unreadable. Sephiroth could just observe the blonde, once again being drawn in. "Gast was like my father, he taught me how to… be human."

Cloud rose an eyebrow, "Be human, you say that like you were a lab rat."

Sephiroth grinned, sipping from his black coffee. "I might as well had been, the only difference being that I didn't die from the cruel experiments I went through."

Cloud's eyes widened in horror. "You mean, they did things to you, in the military?"

Sephiroth nodded, "Yes, you can't suppose that ordinary people have the speed and swiftness beat or trained into them naturally. We've all been given a little boost, in my case I've been experimented on for as long as I can remember."

Cloud shook his head, disturbed by the information he was just told. "That's not right… that's not right at all!"

"In this world, what is right and what is wrong? Some see me as an abomination and others, the rest of the world, see me as a hero but in reality," and Sephiroth dazed out to the white and chrome of his kitchen, "In reality there isn't much difference between me and a killer. In fact I am one."

"Don't say that…! You can't help what you don't know." Cloud interjected standing up from his seat. Sephiroth sat surprised at the blonde's outburst and Cloud continued. "If you were raised in a lab like you say you were and then put out on the field not knowing any better how could you know? You say this Gast was the one that taught you to be human right? Well then… he must've been a light in your life of some kind and then he got turned off in your room, like a bulb that burns out, and you were left in the dark again. It's only normal that you or anyone else would get lost again."

Sephiroth put a hand on his chin, thinking about what the young blonde said. "I suppose it's true. Even a lab rat with no motivation would just give up in its maze."

Cloud nodded sitting back down rather flustered. "You can't always be what people want you to be. Sometimes you have to go out and find the truth for yourself."

They both sat in silence again, this time Sephiroth's mind was going in cycles at what the blonde said and then he thought about the dream that unsettled him even now. He frowned, as if the toast he had bitten into was bitter or too salty. Cloud's eyebrows rose slightly but he didn't press it. He thought about Cid from last night; the annoying blonde was many things but dishonest was not one of them. There was something more that had happened that Gast and Hojo had ever told him. He never thought much of it but after that rather eerie dream the voices of whatever past was shackled away called to him. Hojo was always secretive and would never tell him anything but he was positive that Shinra had some sort of records somewhere….

"Find the truth for yourself you say Cloud?" Sephiroth looked at Cloud, their eyes locking.

Cloud nodded, "If you can't find the truth about things you can't really do much else, at least that's how I feel."

The corners of Sephiroth's lips creased upward, signifying the closest thing to a genuine smile. "Wise words from someone younger. If I find anything interesting I'll let you know."

The silver haired man placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder and the blonde could've sworn he bit right through his fork.

xXx

Cid was currently in line waiting to buy two large hot coffees and two bagels, one with strawberry cream cheese and another with egg and bacon. The second bagel was for him of course but the second one was for a raven haired lieutenant that happened to like strawberry cream cheese bagels. If he remembered correctly this was the same doughnut shop that bastard Sephiroth always got his dozen of doughnuts and while the man himself didn't sit right with Cid the fried pastries were always delicious. In fact as he thought about the silver haired general Cid saw that he had just walked in and to his surprise with the rookie Cloud. The two spoke amongst themselves and he ordered quietly as to not catch their attention. The former pilot went to the counter to get a bag full of sugar and creamer. He watched as the two young law enforcers chuckled and Cid couldn't help but smile himself- if this kid could pull whatever stick Sephiroth had out of his ass he'd gladly endorse any kind of friendship or relationship that could come out of it. Feeling rather mischievous, and wanting to pay Sephiroth back for that lung cancer joke, he approached them.

"Mornin' kiddies, I hope this vampire here wasn't too aggressive with you!" Cid put on his best morning smile. He even ruffled Cloud's rather deflated spikes. "Looks like you two had a wild night!"

Sephiroth sent him a death glare but death glare be damned- Cloud had gotten so red he could compete with a tomato. Sephiroth was the first to speak up, "Not in the way you would think Cid."

Cid feigned confusion, "Whatever do you mean? I was just assuming y'all had a good time is all. Unless you bored the poor kid to death with your forensics crap."

Sephiroth frowned and Cloud simply coughed in his hand. Cid continued, having too much fun poking and prodding the shy pair. "Then again it's usually the shy ones that are the craziest right Seph? Is it true what they say, there's a freak in that geek?"

Cid would've laughed had it been any other day. Sephiroth looked almost as innocent as a child with that statement. The two looked at each other and turned away embarrassed. Not giving Sephiroth a chance to say anything witty Cid picked up his coffee and with a cheeky smile turned back to them. "Well I don't need no details yet but you kids behave yourselves! Remember no glove no love!"

Cid walked away finally letting his laughter roll out as the officer and forensics employee stared at each other bashfully; the statement of Cid's making their mind think of so many different scenarios. Cid sighed, what it was like to be that age and with an unknowing crush.

xXx

Today's Sephiroth's day was unlike any other. Other than having coworker he had just met stay over his home him, said coworker walked into an entire office that just clapped and hollered at them. Cloud had looked like he wanted to retreat into the furthest corner of the entire building and for once Sephiroth felt like he would rather be dealing with a group of rebels than this. Reno had stepped forth patting the former general on the back and Genesis stepped by Cloud trying to get the 'juicy details' out of him.

"So does Sephiroth there have a whole BDSM chamber complete with whips and hot wax in his home Cloud?" The devious red head asked sweetly causing Cloud to burn up like boiling water. "Did he make you wear all leather with nine inch stilettos?"

"I- I what!?" He stuttered out, stupefied by the questions Genesis was asking. "Of course not, nothing happened…!"

Reno had pulled Sephiroth aside, a lanky arm around the silver haired man's neck. "Y'work fast buddy but I gotta hand it to you; Cloud is one hot piece of blonde ass. He's got that 'please fuck me now' look doesn't he?"

Sephiroth was flabbergasted and saw Cid watch him with an overly amused expression. _Well played Highwind…_

Sephiroth sighed, "Reno these questions are completely inappropriate. This is practically sexual harassment."

Reno backed away defensively. "Hey now, I just call it like I see it! But I'm right, right?" Reno winked at Sephiroth and he rolled his green eyes.

Angeal stepped forward offering his own piece of commentary. "Alright settle down_ children _at least let the two men get to their stations. There's work that needs to be done."

Sephiroth shot an apologetic look to Cloud who couldn't even make eye contact with him as he got settled in his desk. But as the blonde turned around Sephiroth's green eyes trailed down the now apparent curves that made him up. He captured and memorized the slight shake of his hips and was tantalized by how strong yet delicately Cloud had carried himself. He snapped himself out of his own hypnotization and realized that Cid was staring right at him. _Fuck…. _

"I just told everyone that I saw you two at the doughnut shop and they went wild. Funny huh?"

If this was how the star soldier made Cid feel it's no wonder the man wanted to punch out all of his teeth. But Sephiroth was calm and collected, even if he felt as if he would pull his sword out and slit the man's throat. "Indeed, little minds think of little things of course."

"Oh, don't be like that. Cloud is quite the catch." Cid winked at him before sitting back down nonchalantly. "Treat him right Sephy, smart and cute don't always come in the same package."

Sephiroth made his way to his lab and received funny stares from his other coworkers. Elena and Cissnei shyly looked at Sephiroth before attempting to hide their uncontrollable giggles. Even Reeve gave Sephiroth a humorous smile before turning back to observe evidence. It felt like a long morning and he still had work to do; Sighing Sephiroth opened his door only to see a displeased Zack sitting in his chair with his arms crossed.

Sephiroth rubbed his temples, "To what do I owe the pleasure Zack?"

Zack looked up at Sephiroth with angry, pouting eyes. "Don't give me your pleasantries! What did you do with Cloud!?"

"Zack nothing happened, when I was driving him home he fell asleep in my car and I just put him to sleep on my couch."

"Cid said he saw you this morning with him and that the both of you looked all flustered! Sounds like something happened to me." Zack stated sternly with his arms still tightly folded.

"Need I remind you that Highwind hates me with a burning passion Zachary? He exaggerating on what he saw."

Zack stood up, his dark blue eyes looking straight into poison green ones. "So you_ admit _that Cid did see something!"

The swordsman exhaled heavily at the mother hen that stood in his office. "I admit that I took care of him is all."

"Yeah but you never take care of anyone let alone let them in your home. Even I've only been there a handful of times. So what gives?"

"Zack," Sephiroth continued albeit irritated, "Make your point."

"My point is…" Zack started smiling like the kid that had a juicy secret, "You have a thing for him."

Green eyes narrowed at the accusing puppy, "I just met him, and how can that happen so soon?"

Zack shrugged, "It happens, some people just click. And I always knew you two would!"

"Zachary?"

"Yes?"

"Get out of my office." Sephiroth opened the door.

Zack scratched his long spikes, "Geez, so up front as usual. But mark my words you two are going to fall for each other I just know it and when that day comes you owe me a giant pizza!"

Zack walked out of the office and if Sephiroth didn't have a high level of self-preservation he would've slammed the door. Sephiroth sat down in his leather chair and attempted to look at the Ice Truck Killer's bloodless evidence but his mind kept wandering back to the smooth curves that he noticed on the beautiful blonde.

_Beautiful…? Where did that come from? _Sephiroth shook his head and attempted to focus twice as hard on the pictures he took from the scene along with a list of chemical compounds found in the bodies. But he only fought within himself, wondering why an adjective like beautiful would be used to describe Cloud. Damn that Cid Highwind!

xXx

Today was turning out to be a good day- Cid had managed to take Sephiroth down a few pegs and it was hilarious watching the former general practically blush from the thoughts he knew was crossing his mind. What made it even better was when he caught him eying Cloud like some kebob in over a low fire. Sephiroth was a weirdo, but it was refreshing to see that even he had a sex drive. Two opposites, but opposites always seemed to attract. Speaking of opposites Cid turned back to look at Vincent's office before turning back to his paperwork with a huge smile plastered on his face. Vincent had called him last night and they spoke for hours on end until the both of them fell asleep on the line. That's when Cid woke up and showered faster than he ever had before; the only time he could imagine himself doing that at such a speed was if he was expecting to get laid.

He wanted to meet Vincent before anyone else had shown up in the office and he drove off, running two red lights, to the doughnut shop and running a few more red lights till he was at work. To his delight the gun man had just gotten into his office, his leather bag swung on a chair Vincent smiled sweetly at Cid. The pilot looked around the office; the curtains were closed as usual, good.

"You're here early." Vincent stated.

"Well you know, I thought I'd be nice and get us some pick me up's seeing as how we both fell asleep on the phone and what not. I didn't know how much of sugar and cream you put in your coffee so I just got you a bunch and decided it'd be best if you did it." Cid handed him the bag of condiments and the bagel.

Vincent gladly took it taking a bit from the bagel before his face lit up. "Strawberry huh? I know I didn't tell you that last night, you remembered what I liked after all these years?"

Cid felt himself flutter lightly at the question, thinking back to a few fond memories. "Well yeah of course, I remember I used to get this for us sometimes and then you up and disappeared… But it's all good now, you ain't gonna disappear on me anymore right?"

Vincent ran a hand through his silk hair. "I wouldn't dream of it. Believe it or not I wasn't happy when I couldn't talk with you anymore."

Cid stepped closer pinning his superior on his desk; the short haired man ran a hand along his porcelain like cheek before twisting a tendril of hair in between his fingertips. "Really, kinda hard to believe that someone like you would miss me?" Cid got closer, their lips nearly brushing against each other. "You know… I've been thinking about stealing another kiss from you."

"Cid…" Vincent was taken back by Cid's boldness and his husky voice made him want to melt into his arms. He felt his hips quiver up towards the burly pilot.

Cid grabbed onto the slender hips forcing Vincent to fill up with blood in regions he'd scarcely felt warm up in quite some time. The only times being that he shamefully thought of Cid in the shower or in his bed. He felt Cid practically scrap his own hardening flesh and Vincent nearly moaned from the delightful friction that was produced. The pilot attacked his lips, using bruise inducing force to open Vincent's mouth allowing his tongue passage into his anticipating cavern. Cid ran a hand through the soft hair pulling once he had gotten a handful of onyx hair emitting soft moan from Vincent. This only fueled the detective's need more rubbing a knee in between the gun man's thighs as Vincent's skinny fingers clawed at Cid's back wanting the man to ravage him. The blonde bit Vincent's bottom lip as he cruelly pulled away tasting his lips, an almost inaudible whimper coming out of Vincent's lips.

"You taste even better than I ever imagined Valentine…." Cid's husky voice stated, taking a mental picture of the former Turk that looked at him with lust filled eyes.

"You're bolder than I ever imagined, I'm surprised if you don't just take me one day in this office." Vincent chuckled lightly, a finger touching his quivering lips. "Just don't tease too much, I know how to play the game as well."

"You keep talkin' like that and you're gonna make me take you right now." The pilot and the gin man smiled at each other. "I think I'll come to work early more often.…"

xXx

I know I've been lagging, what with finals and all but I want to thank everyone that's favorited and reviewed this story. You all mean so much to me and remember if you want more or have any questions feel free to review or message me!


	5. The Killer and the Killed

I haven't updated this in so long haha, I'm a terrible person. -_- But here it is all, sorry for the super slow updates, life happens.

Chapter 5: The Killer and the Killed

Disclaimer: I don't own anything sadly.

xXx

Sephiroth walked out fast to the Shinra building's record's department. His hair was flowing behind him in a loose ponytail as the artificial lights hit him; the inside of the office was a dreary absolute white and it reminded him of a hospital. He shuddered internally, nothing had changed at all. A young woman sat on the desk filing her nails, her face was splattered in freckles and he stood in front of her for a good minute until he cleared his throat. The young girl jumped up, her nail file hitting the perfectly white tiled floor and her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates when she saw it was Sephiroth.

"Oh my you startled me!"

Sephiroth resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well if you're not too preoccupied I was wondering if I could look into some records, for research purposes strictly."

"A-absolutely sir please help yourself…!"

Sephiroth gave the girl a small smile as he walked forward, looking through the index and only stopping to look carefully once he hit the 'S' section. He searched fervently but could only find the recent files of him working with the Midgar Police Department and the years of being a general in the Wutai war. Figures, Hojo would never want any information on him to be so easily accessed. He knew where the classified files would be, he was just hoping that Hojo wouldn't be there to pester him. He left, not bothering to bid the absent minded receptionist farewell as he walked out but halted in his steps as a familiar red head greeted him.

"Oh my gosh, Sephiroth hey!" Genesis pranced to him, his shield swinging back and forth. "What are you doing here?! I just needed to get some files on this local drug dealer we're trying to lock away. He killed two witnesses that saw him trying to move his stash," Genesis shook his head and continued, "Anyway what brings you here?"

"I came to see if there might've been anything on our Ice Truck killer but it seems like they're just as clueless as we are." Sephiroth lied flawlessly and Genesis laughed.

"Such a hard worker, have you met Susie back there? She's a huge fan of you."

Sephiroth shrugged, "Not really, I just sort of caught her attention when she was too busy filing her nails. But hey, good luck on getting that evidence you need."

"My bad guys always get locked up," Genesis winked, "Well catch you on the flipside."

As the two men bid each other farewell, Sephiroth pulled out his keycard. Making sure Genesis was nowhere in sight he proceeded to stepping on the elevator and pressing the button that would take him to Hojo's floor. He stepped out carefully, when he saw a few white coats but no Hojo he walked quickly past a few closed rooms and into Hojo's office. Knocking first and not receiving a reply he tried to open the door only to find out it was locked.

_Of course Hojo would have the door locked… _The silver haired man thought to himself as he checked his surroundings again. When the last of a few intern looking scientist entered the elevator Sephiroth picked the lock quickly. When the knob clicked he smiled before entering the room and closing the door behind him. It was rare when the mad scientist wasn't in his office, perhaps he was performing some experiment somewhere but the former general knew he didn't have much time to find what he was looking for. He headed for the cabinet he knew Hojo had filed most of his sensitive information on him and, once again, had to break the lock. His green eyes rapidly looked back for the information he was looking for- he spotted the usual things and charts as he went back before his adolescence and spotted a few names that caught his attention. Vincent Valentine's name arose more than once, as well as a woman named Lucrecia… Crescent?

Sephiroth froze suddenly, it was one of the extremely rare moments where his brain drew up a blank. He didn't know of anyone else with the last name Crescent. But his hands had a mind of their own; He grabbed the thick manila folder and quickly began to find any information on this mysterious woman named Lucrecia. When he found her index his eyes widened slightly at the amount of information that was compiled on her; there were reports, audio tapes, charts and even journal entries all classified under top secret. His eyebrows knit in confusion, Sephiroth had access to all the top secret information but had never heard of this woman. He grabbed all the audio tapes and journal entries and as many folders as he could fit into his bag. A feeling of dread suddenly made his stomach feel tangled, as if the information he had just gathered was never supposed to come to light. But he finished quickly, closing the old heavy drawers and walking out.

He checked his surroundings before making his way out, a young intern nearly bumping into him before profusely apologizing. "My apologies sir, my d-deepest and m-most sincere apologies!"

"Really it's nothing, no need to be so adamant about it." Sephiroth was trying to get away, attempting to brush the man off.

"S-Shall I call Hojo for you sir? What were you looking for?"

"No that won't be necessary but thank you. I really must be on my way." The silver haired man did _not _want to deal with that mad man, especially when he was eager to see explore his newfound information.

With that, Sephiroth trudged forward his sheer dominance moving the poor young intern away, he got into the elevator and quickly pressed the button to go down. He felt as if he'd gotten away but after passing down a few floors the man he least wanted to see step inside. The older, raven haired lifted an eyebrow at Sephiroth before stepping in.

"To what does Shinra owe the pleasure of having the great Sephiroth visit here?" Hojo's raspy voice began, he looked up at the taller man smugly.

"I'm surprised to see you at anywhere but your cave, excuse me,_ lab._" Sephiroth countered back, his killer instincts spiking up to new heights as he wanted nothing more than to kill the man next to him.

"Fine don't answer my question, it seems you're still as defiant as ever. I assume you're still playing cops and robbers with all those other 'soldiers' that disgracefully left their post?" Hojo pressed on, adjusting his glasses to see if Sephiroth would react.

Sephiroth's complexion hadn't changed with the exception of a small smirk he gave to Hojo. "I'm sorry Hojo, I wasn't aware you had suddenly fought alongside us in the Wutai war. It must be hard work pumping all those people full of mako and only having the company of monsters like yourself."

The seasoned scientist shot him a nasty glare and the silver haired man chuckled, "Well this is my floor _professor, _but when there's a breakthrough that doesn't involve wild beasts or using small children as human weapons please let me know or actually-" Sephiroth had stopped the elevator door from closing as he turned back to the small man. "I'll be sure to stop by when you push the wrong person too far and they end up killing you in your lab."

"Disrespectful brat, get out!" Hojo yelled furiously and Sephiroth couldn't help but laugh as the elevator doors closed on the greasy, old man.

"Well that was quite the show." Sephiroth turned around to see an amused Angeal smiling at him.

Sephiroth relaxed, even if he had sassed Hojo, he could never truly relax around him. "It seems I'm running into everyone here today."

Angeal's thick eyebrows furrowed together, "Who else came by?"

"Genesis came by the Records Department to see what he could find on the Ice Truck Killer; I assume you did the same?"

"Yeah actually, I'm picking up all the footage of vehicles that have been passing back and forth from sector to sector. I'm having Zack help me out with looking at all the footage." Angeal shook his head, scratching the lack spikes of his hair.

Sephiroth smirked, "Your puppy is going to be helping you out? How very obedient of him."

"Hey don't give me that sass," Angeal defended, avoiding green eyes that were entertained from the flustered reaction. "Either way, the whole office is talking about you and that rookie Cloud."

Sephiroth frowned, "Don't drag him into this; if I knew Cid was going to tell the whole office I was with him I would've just gone to another doughnut shop."

Angeal smiled solemnly at Sephiroth knowing that he still wanted to spend time with the little blonde regardless. "I see, how interesting. Well I would love to probe you more but I have hours and hours of film I need to watch. If anything arises I'll let you know."

Sephiroth nodded, walking past the burly man and back out to his car. The silver haired man kept thinking of where and who this Lucrecia was and why he felt like she was so important. Instead of driving home he knew he could easily view the footage and hear the audio tapes in his work office. He drove past his home and back to headquarters were luckily enough, there weren't many people. He saw a few cars parked outside but none of the forensics team was there. Once he got past security he got on the elevator impatiently; for the first time in a long time he felt something inside him stir. A piece of his unusual past would come to light. He hated to admit it but ever since Cid and his dispute and the bizarre dream that followed afterward he was drawn to wanting to know more about what really happened to him. He always knew he was left in the dark about his childhood but now he knew there was something vital he didn't know that a select few had and he didn't like it. It made him feel as if he suddenly didn't have the upper hand.

Once he got into his office, he made sure no one else was there, he pulled out the files on Lucrecia first. The photo and profile of the woman was the first to appear and his stomach seemed to weigh heavier and heavier as he looked through. On the very first page there was a picture of Lucrecia and with an ever so subtle quivering hand he lifted the photo- long brown hair that was tied in a high pony tail. She had a serene smile, her chocolate brown eyes looked weary and sad, and there was a yellow ribbon in her hair. She had silver earrings on and a silver pendant that got cut from the picture itself. Her bangs fell on her face the same way Sephiroth's did and he unconsciously brushed them away. He scanned the papers quickly and came across a piece of information that made him feel sick and wrong.

"No… this can't be…" Sephiroth murmured to himself, for once in his life he couldn't believe what he was reading. "No, no, no…"

But his green snake-like eyes kept widening in horror as he read the reports; Sephiroth felt his reality breaking and when his worst fears were confirmed he threw the papers away from him and buried his head in his shaking hands. He took in a deep breathe, forcing himself to calm down he carefully picked the papers off the floor. Suddenly he felt empty, staring back at the brown haired woman, remembering her from his dream. The voice the touch, suddenly it felt more vivid and eerily enough more tangible. Sephiroth choose to carefully read all the articles that were presented first and would save all the journal entries and tapes afterward. All the records he was reading were dated from before he was born- there was multiple mentions of Hojo as well as Vincent.

He compiled the information but he didn't have time to think about it as his phone began to vibrate and he slowly pulled out his phone. He saw that it was Vincent calling him and he debated on whether or not he should answer, not really knowing how he felt about the man now. He decided to do the logical thing and put the few turbulent emotions he was feeling aside.

"Yes sir?"

"Sephiroth, can you hear me?" Vincent sounded urgent. "We need you to come down to the Shinra building parking lot there's been a murder, we believe it may be the Ice Truck Killer. Be prepared, it's a mess…."

This was good, Sephiroth needed something to distract him from the horrible truth he would inevitably have to face. How could this be though, he was just at the building about an hour ago. He felt the pit of dread in his stomach increase tenfold, something was wrong. "Right, I'll be there as soon as I can."

He fled from the building quickly, not a single thought crossing his mind as he ran red lights to get to his destination. He parked right in front by the side where yellow 'do not cross' tape closed off the whole parking structure. He pulled out his laminate and his kit walking briskly past multiple officers who pointed him in the right detective. He spotted Cloud who had been interviewing what appeared to be a receptionist who was crying. He gave Sephiroth a sheepish smile and moved his head to the side where Vincent was. The raven haired man was standing by Cid, Barret, and Angeal and when he spotted the former general he excused himself to talk with him. Cid followed right behind him and Sephiroth resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'm glad you came as fast as you could Sephiroth, I'm glad we can always depend on you." Vincent greeted politely.

"Of course vampires like you always get to a crime scene on time." Cid added, fishing in his pocket for a cigarette most likely,

"Spare me your pleasantries Highwind and tell me what's going on. There's a lot of cops and the entire area is closed off, what happened?" Sephiroth snapped back annoyed.

Cid chuckled darkly, "Then you should see for yourself general, you're gonna have a field day today."

The three men walked toward Genesis who seemed to be engrossed in the scene and Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly; he hadn't even had to get too close to realize the entire crime scene was drenched in blood but he held his breathe when he saw the entire crime scene- the freckled girl from early was scattered in pieces all around the concrete floor. Her decapitated head soaked in her own blood as were a few nearby cars that were littered in droplets of scarlet. Sephiroth looked at Genesis who looked at the scene with a dejected expression, his usual radiance gone. He looked around and saw a message written in red,_ catch me if you can_. The killer wanted to play but with who he wasn't sure. How could this happen, the scene was still relatively fresh and Sephiroth had just been in the building about an hour ago.

"So what's it telling you Seph, cause I don't know how the fuck I feel about this shit." Cid shook his head.

Sephiroth analyzed the scene a bit better before he began to explain it, "She didn't have time to run, she didn't even have time to react. Whoever did this is incredibly skilled and fast and angry. Our killer follows the Ice Truck Killer's M.O. but it was fast and clean, with a sharp object, most like a sword or sickle."

"Well great, that just made it fuckin' hard. We're right by the goddamn Shinra building, any number of fuck jobs could've done something this fucked up we'll have to check the cameras." Cid stated, running a rough hand through his patch of blonde hair.

"Looks like we have a serial killer on our hands, and if our killer was in Solider this may prove to be a problem." Vincent said, cringing as the forensics team finished taking pictures of the crime.

Elena shyly approached Sephiroth and he turned back to her giving her the smallest of smiles. "Yes Elena?"

"Uh sir," She looked as if she was about to puke. "We've taken all angles and pictures of where the crime took place and the all angles of blood has been taken care of. Did you want us to do anything more?"

"That's fine Elena, I'll review all the information back at the office and I've taken a few pictures and blood samples myself."

The blonde woman nodded, scampering away to the four men be. Sephiroth turned back to his fellow officers. "So who called this in?"

"Actually it was Angeal," Vincent started, tucking his hands into his pockets. "He was leaving the records room when that receptionist Cloud is talking to came in through the front sobbing. He followed her back to the parking lot and when he saw _this _he phoned us immediately. He didn't leave the woman, opting to pull her away and calming her down because she became hysterical. I was here talking with Tseng and we have records and witnesses that say they saw you and Genesis too."

"But don't worry vampire, you both have an alibi. There are witnesses that saw both of you leave before this happened and I saw you back at work going into your office." Cid stated gruffly but looked at Sephiroth skeptically.

Sephiroth mentally cursed himself for not having checked his surrounds earlier better. But perhaps it was for the best, at least Cid wouldn't be on him for the rest of this case. Eventually, after much discussion, Cid and Vincent had left Sephiroth and a rather depressed Genesis where they stood. Sephiroth looked over to his supposed friend who hadn't said a word since he came by. Luckily Gast had taught him how to try and 'comfort' people when they appeared to be in mourning and the pale man placed a hand on Genesis' shoulder.

Genesis shook his head, facing the ground in shame, "I had just seen her….and I could've saved her, she didn't deserve this…."

"How could you have, you can't predict the future Genesis."

The man said nothing but walked away leaving Sephiroth to do a little bit of mourning himself.

xXx

It had been a long day as Sephiroth pulled into his drive way. He ultimately decided to leave his little 'project' back at work and would think about what he had discovered after a fresh cup of tea or if he could in the morning. So much had happened today and for the first time since his strange adolescence he felt confused. He sighed, life was getting so complicated. He turned open the door knob to his home and his sixth senses sparked up as soon as he entered his home- something was amiss and he could feel it in the air. He flipped open the light and saw a note posted on the fridge. His warrior senses appeared and he pulled out his masamune where it hung above his fireplace. He silently and carefully checked all the rooms in his home and checked carefully to see if he was being watched when he found that as was cleared he approached his fridge cautiously. The idolized general debated on opening his fridge, there could be a bomb inside as soon as he opened it but then again his intruder could've just had a bomb explode he soon as he entered his home. He decided to slowly open the door and when it was open all the way he saw something startling- there was a Barbie doll with an index card attached to it and the lettering on it the same red he saw just moments ago. The doll had been tied around with on different limbs with yellow ribbon, just where the Ice Truck Killer would cut his victims. The adrenaline began to pump in his veins like a cold fire and his mouth twitched into a wry smile. This killer invaded his own private sanction and clearly knew who he was, who he _really _was. Other than the two clues he left Sephiroth could only guess who this man or perhaps, but not as likely, woman was.

_Catch me if you can Sephiroth._

The card's words were engraved in his head and Sephiroth was up for the challenge of killers.

xXx

If there are any grammatical errors or mistakes I apologize, I just don't have too much time to edit my chapters haha. ^_^;;;

What will happen next!? Will Sephiroth find out who the Ice Truck Killer is? Will we find out what Sephiroth read in those files? Read and review to find out!


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